From busy to influential | Psychology Today

Not long ago, I spoke with a senior manager who admitted something I hear all too often. She said: “I look at my week, and I can’t figure out how I worked so hard and didn’t get down to the important stuff. Why proactive planning, Training My team, making room for strategy, are always pushed aside?

Sound familiar?

This comment embodies a reality that many leaders quietly suffer from. The days are busy, the effort is there, but the impact seems consistent. As we enter the final quarter of the year, thinking about our contributions becomes clearer.

Here’s the good news: There’s a way to avoid spending another week wondering why important work isn’t your best attention. It starts with reframing how you set up your week.

1. Name your top three results in the next 60 days. Be specific. These should reflect what will truly advance your team’s goals and the business overall. Without this anchor, everything on your calendar seems urgent. Think impact, not activity.
2. Determine your commitments for the next week. Include what is obvious (meetings, reports, tasks) and what is hidden (requests, interruptions, preparation time).
3. He attends Amnesty International In the mix. Share your weekly goals and commitments using your favorite AI tool. Ask him to classify your workload into three categories: Aligned work: Directly boosts your results. Operational work: It keeps things running but can be delegated or automated. Working off-task: Deviations or routines that don’t move the needle.
4. Recalibration. Once you see the breakdown, make decisions. Take action to protect your time on big matters, delegate or automate operational tasks, and challenge or eliminate off-task tasks.

Leaders who try this often have a moment of surprise and clarity. They realize how much of their energy is going to things that aren’t worth it.

Yes, you can do this exercise with pen and paper. But artificial intelligence speeds it up and removes some of the… prejudice We all come up with our own to-do lists. It acts as a thought partner, holding a mirror up to your week before it even begins. Of course, no tool can replace your judgment. Ultimately, discernment and experience sit with you. Artificial intelligence makes it easy to use them wisely.

Try this and let me know how it goes. As we approach the final period of the year, this might be the perfect time to experiment.

Until next time,

pleasant